Bounder and a Cad

Hey yo hey,

Long time no see, dudes.

So I was in some pub hanging out with Paul, the new Brit specimen from GEOS (local English school) when AMAGAWA (River of Heaven) started playing on the radio.

"Oh, I know this song!" Paul said. "That band was on Pop Jam the other day. Who were they? Crazy...crazy something....?"

"What did they look like?" I wanted to know.

"They had the most impressive afros."

"That would be the Crazy Ken Band."

They surface every now and again. On TV commercials. On talk shows. They're one of the mega-bands with 11 odd members and a brass outfit. They're something slightly akin to Tokyo Ska Paradise if TSP were inclined to hip-hop. Crazy Ken combines the likes of rap group m-flo with a tad of ska, maybe some salsa and a killa shamisen. Throw in the crusty, closing-the-bar croon of Crazy Ken himself and you've got yourself a hell of an operation. He's so Vegas and seedy. His voice smells like 50 years of cigarette smoke. It makes me want to recline on velvet, leer and carress diamonds.

Haven't had time to listen to much lately. Been so busy and today was one of those days I just wanted to sleep. If you don't like people then this job ain't for you. Fortunately, I like people 90% of the time. On the days that I don't, I just kind of stumble through and improvise. I teach elementary school kids now. There is no end to the love but there is a definite cap on my energy. Feel good music is in order. Today as I tried to get a group of stony-faced 10 year olds happy and clapping to the Cat Empire's "Hello Hello" (a recent standard on my self-introduction mixes), the CD player crapped out and there we were stuck playing hot potato with no tuneage. Fortunately, I am resourceful and don't mind being ridiculed.

Thus the game continued with me jumping about like my ass had caught fire and clapping to a bellowed rendition of Spitz's "Ai no Shirushi".

Speaking of Spitz, holy crap dudes, some Brit band (no idea who) translated and covered Spitz's first hit, "Robinson". Ah, this song practically begs for a Brit accent. It's like a first bite of PBJ after 20 odd years of abstinence. Go here to have a listen:

http://www.aoihayashi.com/spitz/audio.html

Speaking of Brits, I've been listening to THE CAT EMPIRE and THE KAISER CHIEFS a lot for some reason. CAT EMPIRE makes me smile.

Oh yeah, back in the day I heard a Japanese chick who sounded an awful lot like Macy Gray who had a voice I liked a lot more. The song was catchy. Even Tavie kinda liked it and I always figure if Tavie likes something, it has to be good cuz there's some kinda wacky big sister approval vibe going on in my psyche even though that's total jive.

Anyway, back to the singer. Her name is Bonnie Pink and I love taking long baths with "He" in the background.


Songs to Seek: CRAZY KEN BAND Amagawa, Life is Beautiful, Yoru no Vibrate (実演！夜のヴィブラート), SPITZ Robinson, BONNIE PINK It's Gonna Rain/He/Inu to Tsuki (Dog and the Moon 犬と月)/Evil and Flowers